GOVERNMENT AUDITOR:
Serious Weaknesses in Security at Civilian Nuclear Reactors
Two senior congressional representatives have released a U.S. General Accounting Office report that found several serious weaknesses in NRC’s oversight of security at U.S. nuclear power plants.
- To see highlights of the study and a link to the full study: Click Here (pdf)
From the release: “It is stunning that the NRC still isn’t assuring the safety of the millions of Americans who live near the 104 licensed nuclear reactors two years after the attacks of September 11,” said Rep. Markey. “GAO has documented a disturbing pattern of lax NRC oversight and inattention to security at these sensitive facilities that are at the very top of Al Qaeda’s list for future attacks.”
Rep. John Dingell: “It is unfortunate that one terrorist attack on American soil wasn’t enough to prompt the NRC to pay greater attention to the security risks at some of our country’s most vulnerable sites. The GAO report is another wake up call to the NRC that they need to change their attitude about nuclear security by making much needed improvements immediately.”
A comment from a separate release by Public Citizen’s Critical Mass Energy Project: “The NRC has been a tool of the nuclear industry for too long. Congress must immediately pass legislation to ensure that the NRC does its job of minimizing the inherent dangers of nuclear power.”
